Holding onto Reality
by SweetDancer
Summary: Harry begins his 6th year at Hogwarts with pain. Be warned: OotP spoilers throughout. HP/HG


Disclaimer: All characters are property of J.K. Rowling, so please don't sue me! Please read and review and let me know what you think! 

It was past midnight on Harry Potter's first night of his sixth year at Hogwarts.  As Harry stood on the edge of North Tower overlooking the grounds, he noticed that the last few lights in the castle were finally dimming.  Jumping would end it all.  All the misery he felt since Sirius's death would be over in an instant.  Or would it, Harry asked himself thinking about the prophecy Dumbledore had relayed to him the previous June.  Supposedly, his life could only end in murder.  Well he would soon find out if there was any truth to this prophecy.

     Yet right before Harry was about to take his last breath, he heard a voice from behind him, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."  Harry scowled, what was Hermione doing up here?

     "And why not?" Harry answered, carefully turning around to face her.

     "Well, because then I'll be forced to levitate you back to the top of the tower.  And since I received an O on my charms O.W.L. I'm sure I'll have no problem with this simple spell," said Hermione pointing her wand directly at Harry.  Harry chuckled to himself as he stepped off the edge of the tower.  Sometimes he regretted having the cleverest witch of their year as one of his best friends.

     "How'd you know I was up here?" Harry asked sliding down the wall to a sitting position.

     "Well I had a feeling you might not turn up at the feast.  I mean you didn't attend last year's end of the year feast either.  So after I brought the new first years up to Gryffindor Tower, I went searching for you.  It took quite a while to find you actually."

     "You've found me," Harry said glumly.  They sat in silence for a few minutes until finally Hermione spoke again.

     "Were you really going to jump Harry?"

     "Er-well-it was more like testing to see if the prophecy was true or not," said Harry not really wanting to tell Hermione that had she not have been there he would in fact have jumped.

     "The prophecy?  What are you talking about Harry?" said Hermione a blank expression on her face.

     "Yeah, the oh..." said Harry breaking off as he remembered how he had never got around to telling Ron and Hermione about the prophecy over the summer, "Right...I never did get a chance to tell you about that did I?"

     "No you did not," said Hermione and Harry could detect a slight feeling of hurt in her voice.  "Are you talking about the prophecy from the Department of Mysteries?  Because according to Neville the prophecy broke as you were going up the stairs and I don't remember you ever correcting his version of the story."

     "Well he was right, it did break.  And when would you have liked me to tell the story anyway?  In front of Ginny, Neville and Luna?"

     "Don't use them as an excuse Harry.  You had all summer to tell Ron and me about this prophecy," said Hermione her voice rising despite her attempts to remain calm.

     "I did not have all summer.  I spent half of it at the Dursley's," said Harry glaring at her.

     "Well, how about once we brought you to Siri-er-headquarters?  You spent almost the whole month locked in Sirius's mum's room with Buckbeak.  Mrs. Weasley thought it was normal for you to want to keep to yourself after his death and not talk about what happened in the Department of Mysteries.  But I disagreed with her and now seeing you stand at the edge of the tower proves I was correct."

     "So you were talking about me all summer were you?" Harry snarled, not sure why he was taking all his anger out on Hermione.  She was only trying to help, but once Harry's temper had begun to rise there was no stopping it.

     "Of course we were talking about you," said Hermione coolly.  "When one spends all of their time locked up in a room hardly even joining their friends for dinner, they do become the topic of conversation."  Harry gave a grunt and Hermione took this as a signal to continue.  "You know we're not like the other students at school talking about you because you're famous and gawping at your scar.  If we're talking about you it's because we're showing our concern for you and you know it."

     "Hermione, I-I'm sorry.  I know I've been acting like an-" but Hermione cut him off.

     "Harry I don't need to hear you apologize, just tell me about this prophecy."  

     "...So basically I'm either murderer or victim," said Harry finishing recounting what Dumbledore had told him the previous June.  Hermione remained silent, just looking at Harry with tears brimming in her eyes.

     "Oh, Harry," she said flinging her arms around his neck and crying into his shoulder.

     "Don't cry Hermione," he said holding her tight against him.  "I mean if I've escaped him four times what's one more?" Harry added trying to calm her.  Hermione let go of Harry at last and looked deep into his eyes, as if searching to see what was going through his mind at that moment.

     "Come on," she said getting to her feet, "it's getting late and we should go back inside.  And-and you'll be sure to tell Ron about this first thing tomorrow won't you?" Hermione asked as she and Harry headed back to the Gryffindor common room.

     "Yes," he answered dully knowing full well that there was no way he could tell Hermione about the prophecy and not Ron.  Even so, Harry was not looking forward to retelling the story once again.  

     They walked through the corridors of the school in silence.  It had been a long and rough evening and Harry was sure the rest of the year would continue the same way.  Hermione finally broke the silence after they had stepped through the portrait hole.

     "Goodnight Harry," she cried throwing her arms around his neck for the second time that evening as the two were about to part ways toward their separate dormitories.

     "Hermione," Harry mumbled into Hermione's hair, "it's not like I'm going to die tonight."

     "I know Harry," she said her eyes oddly bright, "it's just that I-I'm worried for you."

     "I know you are, but really I'll be fine, you'll see."  Hermione looked back at him skeptically.  Harry put on his best fake smile as he headed for the door to his dormitory. "Goodnight," he called to her over his shoulder.  His smile trying to mask all the pain and sorrow which coursed through his body.


End file.
